By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Bill Dysinger, Shawn Nix, Peggy Lee, Berta Payne, Stephanie Phillips, Beth Eichhorn, Janice Trankler, Chris Qualls, Ryan Dirnberger, Amber Schlitt, Jason Umfleet, Amanda Ford, Carl Kagle, Terry Glenzy, Regina Wall, Ashlie Smith, Pat Burger, Don Moss, Laura Schilling, Ronnie Eichhorn, Mabel Redenbeaux, Randy Rister, Jerry Lee, Mamie Cooper, Nick Powderly, Brittany Bennett and Devohn Foulk.

Happy anniversary to Bill and Clara Gramlisch, Jim and Robyn Hindman and Joe and Anna Kinder.

Happy Father's Day to all our dads!

Congratulations to Chris and Brandi Schaefer, whose home on Yoakum has been chosen as Chamber of Commerce Residence of the Month.

City reminders

City Council meets tomorrow night and we remind residents that recycling has been discontinued until further notice. City Hall also has these reminders: update phone numbers with them; make certain your house number is clearly visible on the front of your house; don't store old tires in yards and don't blow grass clippings into the street.

It is that time of year when people are out for a stroll and walking their dogs attached to their leash. We remind dog owners that there is a city ordinance that states the owner or person in control of an animal "shall immediately collect and properly dispose of any feces that the animal may deposit on city property or private property." Section 270.012 also states that the number of animals within the City of Chaffee is limited to a total of no more than four dogs and/or cats in one residence.

There is also an ordinance requiring dog owners to remove and dispose of feces/excrement on their property in a timely manner. Accumulation of such is declared a nuisance and any person receiving a notice has to dispose of it within twenty-four hours or risk a fine. You may be required to appear in City Court. Judge Marshall is fair and easy going, but it can be a humiliating experience.

What would be more fun than having a private birthday party at the Pool at Harmon Field! Call (573) 887-3875 to book yours.

Visitors in from out of town

Richard and I entertained his brothers, Mark and Donnie, from Texas this past week. The weather was nice and we showed them the sights. They were most impressed with the Mississippi River, the green rolling hills and all that nature has to offer here, not to mention the clear skies, cooler temperatures and no traffic! They enjoyed our friendly town and even got to visit with everyone at Whitakers Hardware. They also got to see bald eagles and a young pileated woodpecker. They both liked listening to my stories about growing up in Chaffee with three sisters and three cousins. A good time was had by all!

Small town stories book planned

Mark Hopkins plans to write a book of small town stories. Topics include Frisco Railroad and the 1920s strike, pants and shoe factories, the Hoop Mill, Bum's Park, Chaffee High School, sports, etc. Let us know if you have stories to share. He would also like a copy of the 1955 Golden Jubilee Book.

My cousin Walt Finney and his wife Betty (Trost) of Seymour dropped by after placing some flowers on Walt's parents' graves at Union Park. They complimented Teen Challenge on how nice the cemetery looked. We loved catching up with them.

Hello summer!

Summer officially arrives Thursday. Remember to put fresh water out for the birds and your pets. The buffalo gnats and mosquitoes are here so get out the vanilla and Deet up before you go outdoors.

Summer baseball is underway and there were plenty of sports to watch on television this past week. Of course we have the St. Louis Cardinals as well as local teams. The Stanley Cup and NBA finals are over as they seemed to go on forever! As a big fan of tennis great Rafa Nadal, I was thrilled to watch him win his 11th French Open. We get to watch Tiger Woods this weekend at the US Open. Before we know it, football camp will be here and we will be on with the NFL. Dallas Cowboy fans are wondering how they will fare without Dez Bryant and longtime Cowboy Jason Witten yet happy we have Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.

As we celebrate dads today remember to tell him and those special people in your life you love them -- those three words mean so much.

Email you news and comments to me at darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

Then there was the war on plastic straws.